German Art World

Artists have long enjoyed a special status in society – and there is no reason to change that. Nevertheless the expectation of becoming a millionaire artist is only fulfilled in very few cases. That becomes apparent – at the latest – on leaving the protected zone of the art academy, and not all those who studied art pursue this vocation.

Specialists in Otherness

In Germany at the beginning of September 2008 there was talk of possible abolition of social benefits for artists, or at least of reforms serving the interests of employers, but probably no-one anticipated the powerful expression of solidarity with self-employed artists and writers that followed. Just a few days later the move to abolish artists’ social benefits was rejected in the German Upper House of Parliament. So it seems that artists’ task of furthering otherness is appreciated by society and even thought highly significant. That has also been the case across the centuries – and not just since times of a boom in the art market. It may not be democratic but this resistance to any convention is always of importance in social processes.

Just 5 % of those who complete studies at an art academy ultimately make it to the heights of international exhibitions, the art business, the art market, or what other parameter may count. However this doesn’t mean that the other 95 % inevitably remain unsuccessful. They work part- or full-time as art teachers or directors of institutions, as graphic designers or publishers, art critics or curators, and in this they are often more successful than people specifically trained for such jobs. Roger Buergel, director of Documenta 12, may be seen here as the most prominent exemplification. He too is a generalist and also studied at an art academy.

An entire army of gallerists started out in set-ups run by artists themselves but finally decided they much preferred the mediation and distribution of others’ work to being in their own studios. Others finance their studios with the income from running a gallery, and after a few years feel confirmed in the decision to spend their lives as independent artists. No fewer than 50 of the 400 or so galleries in Berlin are organised by artists. They all possess the secondary capacity of being innovative and flexible, and in the best cases have learned to think laterally and express that clearly.

Generalists in Times of Specialised Qualifications

If art academy graduates succeed in other professions, why shouldn’t their training immediately be adapted, modified, and concentrated – as is envisaged in the entire university system with shorter study courses leading to a bachelor’s degree? How about a module system resulting in specialisation with a practical element at the end of studies? Off the mark. Viewed in that way the artist becomes an endangered species in need of protection. But prospective artists don’t need guidance about later possibilities of earning. What they really require is time in an environment which protects them against the all-too-early temptations of the market and other stumbling-blocks on the way towards a career. Admittedly in recent decades art has literally stepped out of its frame, but offering a module system leading to specialisation is less important in art education than diversity providing for deepening of knowledge beyond master classes.

Many teachers of master classes slave away at the ever-recurring question of whether art and teaching can be reconciled, while art colleges respond to their students’ needs by restructuring courses so that by now a doctorate can be gained at more and more academies – a development that is much more promising for both students and the academies themselves than standardised bachelor’s courses.

In 2006 the International Society for the Visual Arts and the Mainz Academy of Visual Arts jointly organised a symposium entitled Reality Check: Who’s afraid of masters of arts?, which investigated these processes of restructuring. The Bonn-based Montag Foundation for the Visual Arts also devoted a four-part series of symposia to the changing conditions facing artists. “Out of the Ivory Tower” was their call. Here too co-operation exists with various art colleges.

In times like the present artists can no longer afford to live in an ivory tower anyway, and changed curricula and additional courses cannot guarantee anyone an existence as an artist. But what studies offer a patent remedy inclusive of a guaranteed job? However the artistic freedom constantly called for does at least promise graduates freedom of choice.

Symposium publication: “Reality Check: Who’s afraid of masters of arts?” Publ. by Internationale Gesellschaft der Bildende Künste (IGBK), Annette Hollywood & Barbara Wille, Berlin 2007. ISBN 978-3-00-020439-5